REPORT: Patriots Showing Interest in Broncos QB Paxton Lynch

With both of those signal-callers gone, the Patriots are now stuck with Brian Hoyer as their backup option. Brady himself is 40 years old, and while he could have another two or three years left in the league, a succession plan needs to materialize soon.

The Patriots may get exactly that in the form of a current Denver Broncos QB. RosterWatch.comhints that the Patriots are "sniffing around" Denver's Paxton Lynch.

1) Why is no one talking about the #Patriots sniffing around Paxton Lynch?!

​​This report comes as a surprise, as Broncos VP of Football Operations John Elway said on Wednesday that Lynch will return to Denver next season. But if he receives the right offer, however, you've got to think that the young QB would suddenly be made available. Of course, it all depends on the Broncos being able to put together a backup (no pun intended) plan of their own.

In his two seasons with Denver, Lynch completed 79 of 128 pass attempts for 792 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions.

Lynch enticed the Broncos to trade up for the quarterback in the 2016 NFL Draft, as his height (6-foot-7) and surprising mobility stood out while in college at Memphis.

Head coach Bill Belichick is known for presiding over solid development of quarterbacks; consider the play of Garoppolo for the San Francisco 49ers and Brissett for the Indianapolis Colts after spending years in the Pats' system.

Granted, this is all speculation as of this writing, and we'll learn more in the coming weeks. But with free agency and the draft kicking into gear soon, expect the chatter to start heating up before too long.